It’s Been A Year.

My Facebook “On This Day” is pulling up reminders of my slow descent into madness this time last year. How I was at an Adele concert and as we let out, I was checking my phone to see the election results. As we were stuck in traffic at the Toyota Center, my sister is reading off the poll numbers, and I’m just spiraling into confusion and despair. And anger.

And now it’s been a year. A full 365 days since we were told who our next President will be. A year since I’ve weeded down my social media feed to just be an echo chamber. A year since people were telling us “it won’t be that bad” or “just give him a chance” and watching every day be basically worse than the one before.

I’m still angry.

But I’ve done as Hills and bell hooks have suggested. I have taken my anger and cultivated it to be something.

I’ve had to have Congress and Resistbot’s numbers saved in my phone because every week I have to tell Congress no to strips someone’s livelihood away from them. A year of watching the government actively come after women. After people of color. After the LGBTQIA community. After Muslims. After immigrants. After the non-rich. After the sick. After the undocumented. After the “others”.

I’ve found a community online and in real life to commiserate with. I’ve learned so so much about others and their struggles and their fears and hopes for their lives. For their children’s lives. For our country.

I’ve learned that like the ACLU says, dissent is patriotic.

And this year has made me patriotic AF.